Echoes of Time
by SeaDour
Summary: The Hyrule of the far future must revert to its ancient and forgotten ways in order to defeat the dark force that has returned once again.


Echoes of Time  
by SeaDour  
  
"This is the first chapter of my first Zelda fan fic, and I hope you all enjoy it. I'll be sending in more chapters soon, so be sure to stay tuned. Thanks!"  
  
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Chapter One: The Adventure Begins  
  
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"...where am I?"  
  
It was dark and gray everywhere. The blue sky was completely shrouded in a veil of thick, black clouds. The air was cold and silent. And her clothes, they were old and formal-looking...it reminded her of the medieval age costume parties they used to have at the castle. All around her stood the ruins of what she assumed to be a giant building; there were huge pieces of stone and large boulders, among other debris. In fact, she was now noticing that the dust floating above the ground was just starting to settle, and the ground was still rumbling a bit...  
  
Whatever it had been, it was gone now.  
  
"ZELDA!!!"  
  
'Huh?' She quickly turned around to face the panicked voice. He was a young man with orange hair standing about fifteen meters away...wearing green clothes...with brown leather boots, golden amulets, and a long green hood...and a small shining blue object was floating around his head. He looked like a fantasy knight from the bedtime stories she'd read as a child.  
  
She tried to ask him who he was and where they were, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out but a hoarse whisper.  
  
The man - or was he a boy? She couldn't really tell his age, though it seemed to be about the same as hers - now expressed a look of even more worry and concern as he stared up at something above her head. She noticed a long, wide shadow stretching around and in front of her...something very big was now standing behind her. She turned around and up to try and see what it was-  
  
...but all she saw was the giant blade of a huge sword stabbing itself into her lower torso.  
  
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"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
The guard burst through the doors, practically knocking it down. "Princess!!" He quickly pulled his gun out of its holster and pointed it around the room, grasping it with both hands, searching for a hostile.  
  
After he flipped on the lights and saw her sitting up in her bed with a cold sweat, he soon realized she had just had a nightmare.  
  
Again.  
  
He approached the side of her bed. "My lady, are you all right?"  
  
She panted for a few moments before turning to reply. "Yes...I'm sorry...it was just so real..."  
  
A very large woman came running into the room as fast as her legs could carry her over to the bed. "Princess! Oh, dear Goddess, you worried me sick! You've never shouted out like that before! Are you all right?"  
  
She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, Impa. I had another dream."  
  
The woman walked closer to the bed and knelt down beside it, staring at the girl with both of her hands placed firmly over her heart. "Would you like anything? Perhaps a glass of warm milk to help you rest again?"  
  
She simply shook her head before glancing at the clock beside her bed. "It's already 5:30, and I don't think I can fall back to sleep." She reached out and grabbed both of the woman's hands, grasping them tightly in her hands. "Why is this happening to me, Impa? I don't understand. Is something wrong with me?" A tear streamed down her cheek.  
  
Impa let out a long sigh, closing her eyes slightly. "I cannot say, my dearest. But we will find out soon. I promise you."  
  
The girl closed her eyes as she let go of the woman's hands and pushed herself out of the bed, walking toward the large arched window on the right side of her bed. It was pouring outside, and occasional lightning strikes illuminated the strong rainfall. Above her, the drops of rain beat on the roof like a thousand tiny drums.  
  
As another strike of lightning lit up her face, she whispered to herself, "I must find the boy...."  
  
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"More cola, sir?"  
  
'Damnit. Why can't these flight attendants leave me alone when I'm trying to nap?'  
  
He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at her smiling, annoying face. "No thank you. I'm fine."  
  
She nodded. "Very good then. We will be arriving in Hyrule City in a few minutes, so please try to remain seated." He nodded back before she went to the next seat behind him, offering another coke to the unfortunate passenger behind him. He shook his head before crossing his arms and looking out the small window next to him.  
  
There was one thing he had to admit, and that was that Hyrule City was the most beautiful city he'd ever seen. The tall skyscrapers in the center of the huge metropolis looked like they'd been made with a coating of silver, which looked fantastic as they reflected the sunlight off of them, and their modern designs were both innovate and spectacular. In the distance, he could see the castle on the edge of the city, near the base of the tall mountain that cast a shadow over much of the city. The streets below were a bustle of activity, with countless vehicles traveling about, trying to reach their destinations...  
  
Before he knew it, the plane was on the ground at the international airport near the outskirts of the city, and the plane was soon docked with the gate. He put his books and CD player back into his backpack and strolled out of the plane onto the concourse.  
  
Two uniformed officers were waiting for him at the gate.  
  
"Captain Herro? I'm officer Bradley, and this is my partner officer O'Neil. We're here to escort you to the station. Can we see some identification please?"  
  
He nodded, unclipping the silver police badge from his belt and opening his wallet with the Corilla Police Department symbol on it. There was also a rather ugly photo of him on it, though he was thankful it was only miniature in size.  
  
"All right sir. Right this way." They did an about-face and led him down the concourse, on the path to the terminal. "Have you ever been to Hyrule City?"  
  
He sighed as he looked out the windows facing the wonderful city to the east. "Only in my dreams."  
  
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"Captain Link Herro, Detective, Corilla Police Department, reporting for duty." The young man stood tall and expressionless in front of the desk in the small office, wearing a blank green t-shirt with white trim on the sleeves and collar, an unzipped leather jacket that looked a few years old, and baggy khaki cargo pants that sagged slightly. A new silver badge was clipped onto his belt, this time with "H.C.P.D." etched onto it.  
  
The fat man behind the desk leaned forward and pointed his finger at him. "That's Hyrule City Police Department now, young man. Say it right next time." He grinned as he extended his right hand. "Welcome aboard."  
  
Link returned the gesture with a smile and a small chuckle. "Thank you, sir. And you are...?"  
  
"Major Davidson. We spoke on the phone several times before."  
  
"Ah, yes, I remember now. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir."  
  
"Stop calling me 'sir' already. When you come into my office, you drop the formalities."  
  
He sighed, pursing his lips a bit. "Of course. So what can I do for you?" Link put his hands into his pockets and relaxed a bit.  
  
Davidson got out of his chair and walked around his desk, standing in front of the window, his back facing the young detective. "I never knew someone so young could rise up through the police ranks so quickly."  
  
"I've wanted to be a detective my whole life. I just pursued the dream as best as I could."  
  
The fat man turned around, smiling. "I understand." He walked slowly back to his desk and plopped himself into the chair again, this time kicking his feet up onto the cluttered desk. "Today, I don't have anything for you. I want you to get settled into your new apartment, look around the city, get used to your new environment. You can report for duty tomorrow morning at 8 AM. Until then, you are dismissed, Captain."  
  
Link bowed before leaving through the door.  
  
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He pulled up to the apartment building in his new squad car. Because he didn't have his own vehicle yet, the department granted him permission to use this one full-time. Hell, it'd be a kick to watch all the other drivers around him slow down just because he was in a police car. He laughed at that thought as he took his backpack and suitcase out of the back and closed the trunk, then headed inside.  
  
It was a four-story building, with about twenty or so apartments in it. The outside of the building was very attractive, as the structure could not have been much more than a few years old. Inside, the small lobby floor was made of white marble. A few small couches, a coffee table and some plants sat in the corner of the room. And a large elevator was directly in front of him, next to a panel of buttons and a speaker grill.  
  
He approached the elevator, not quite sure how to get it working as there weren't any obvious buttons to push...  
  
"What apartment number, please?" a tinny female voice said from the speaker grille, startling him a bit.  
  
Link scratched his head with his free hand. "Uh...402, I think."  
  
"Please identify yourself for access to that unit."  
  
".......how?"  
  
"Place your right thumb on the small red oval next to the elevator door to initiate fingerprint confirmation."  
  
He hesitated a moment. "Uh...oh-kay..." He approached the door slowly and pushed his thumb onto the device, and waited.  
  
The scanning didn't take much longer than a second. "Identity confirmed. Welcome home, Link." The elevator doors silently opened up to the car.  
  
"...thanks?" he said with a shrug as he entered the car.  
  
"You are more than welcome." The door promptly closed.  
  
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After he figured out how to get into his apartment, he found the interior to be quite lovely. The living room was spacious and had a dining table with four chairs, a sofa and lounge chair in front of a decent television set, a kitchenette in the corner of the room by the door, and a computer desk by the window - which, surprisingly, already had a computer on it. At the end of the room was a small hallway that led to a bedroom and a bathroom.  
  
"...and this apartment only costs 800 rupees a month? Sweet!!!" He threw down his things and launched himself at the couch, plopping down on it with a relaxed sigh and a broad grin teasing his face. "I think I'm going to like this new job."  
  
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250 channels, and absolutely nothing was on. Link had quickly become bored in his apartment, so he had gotten back into his squad car and started driving around. It was nighttime already, and the many lights of the buildings and cars lit up the entire city.  
  
He had no idea where he was now, but he honestly didn't care. He was hoping to find a dance club, or maybe even a nice restaurant to celebrate, but all the ones he saw were very crowded, with lines stretching down an entire block on the sidewalk. This area of the city was certainly one of the most active.  
  
While he was waiting at a stoplight, his car's radio came alive. "This is base to all available units. We have a report of a disturbance at Hyrule Castle. All nearby units, please respond immediately, over."  
  
The small display in the center of the dashboard automatically came alive with a street map of his current location. Link was surprised to find that his car was very close to the castle, and his car was also the closest of the other police cars. Even though he was technically off-duty, he decided to respond anyhow. He'd often dreamed of the chance to see the castle from within...perhaps this would be his chance.  
  
He picked up the hand unit and pressed the button. "This is car 1142, Captain Herro reporting, responding to disturbance, over."  
  
The display unit showed the fastest route to the castle, and he took it.  
  
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The front gate was wide open. No guards whatsoever. And no activity from inside the gate.  
  
In fact, as Link parked his car and stepped out, he realized that the area was eerily dark and quiet.  
  
He unclipped his radio unit and spoke into it: "This is Captain Herro, arriving on the scene. The gate is open, and there are no guards in the area, over."  
  
........no reply.  
  
"I repeat, this is Captain Herro, arriving on the scene, and I am proceeding inside."  
  
.........still nothing.  
  
He sighed, turning off the radio and throwing it back into his car through the window. "Stupid bloody thing...I'll mess with you later." He turned back around and walked into the castle grounds.  
  
As he walked up the broad path the castle doors, he encountered no one on the way. This surprised him greatly, because he had heard all his life about the great security measures taken in and around the castle. He'd even seen several documentaries on the groundbreaking security technologies that were being put into use here. But he saw absolutely nothing, save for some trees, grass, and flowers.  
  
The drawbridge was already down over the moat, and one of the heavy wooden doors on the other side was open slightly. As a precaution, he pulled out his 9mm pistol with his left hand and proceeded carefully across the moat and into the castle.  
  
The interior was just as dark, cold and bleak as the outside. He could tell he was in the large entrance hallway, which was supposed to have two majestic winding staircases that stretched to the upper level. The dining hall was over on the right. Or at least, that's what he could remember from the TV documentary he'd seen on this place. Link moved cautiously forward, glancing from side to side with his gun held out in both his hands.  
  
"HEEEEELLLLLPP!"  
  
It was a female voice, very loud and filled with fear, coming from somewhere upstairs. 'Oh my goddess,' he muttered as he ran up the staircase. "I'm coming!!! Stay where you are!" The woman was continuing to shriek "help", and he simply followed the voice down the long hallway and into one of the rooms on the left side near the end.  
  
Surprisingly, the lights were on in here.  
  
It was an enormous room, with a king-size bed near one end and an extensive wardrobe closet on the other, in addition to the various makeup mirrors, computer desks, and even a giant television set. And there was a young woman standing in the middle, staring right at him as he pointed his gun at her.  
  
He lowered his weapon and got closer to her by a few footsteps. "Are you all right? I heard you crying for help down there..."  
  
Link was stunned when he realized who she was: it was Princess Zelda of Hyrule!  
  
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Zelda was stunned when she realized who he was: it was the boy from her dream!  
  
".........what? Sorry, my mind wandered...who are you?" She got a few steps closer, so they were at a more comfortable speaking distance.  
  
He hesitated for a moment, clearly a bit nervous. "Erm...I'm Captain Herro of Hyrule City Police Department. I'm a detective."  
  
"Captain Hero, you say?"  
  
"Yeah, it's spelled 'H-E-R-R-O'."  
  
She didn't know why he felt the need to explain that. This wasn't a first date. She giggled as she watched how nervous he was getting.  
  
"Ummm...so you're Princess Zelda, right?"  
  
She nodded, still chuckling a bit. "Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Captain." She extended her right hand.  
  
Still a bit nervous, Link shook her hand. "Uh, yeah, nice to meet you, but-why were you screaming?"  
  
She let go and stood deadpan.  
  
"...I was?"  
  
He nodded, a puzzled look appearing on his face. "Yeah, I was told there was a disturbance at the castle, and when I came to investigate there were no guards anywhere-"  
  
"No guards??"  
  
"That's right, no guards. And everything was dark, so I kinda fumbled my way through the main entrance, and then I heard you screaming 'Help!' so I ran up here...and here we are."  
  
She frowned. "...I don't remember screaming. I don't really remember anything, actually...I thought I had gone to bed...that's the last thing I remember."  
  
Captain Herro shook his head, approaching closer. "Well, in any case, we need to get out of here. Something strange is going on, and I don't like it one bit." He put out his hand, gesturing for her to grab it. "Follow me?"  
  
Zelda had to admit, he was kinda cute with that dark green t-shirt and that leather jacket...  
  
She nodded, keeping a serious expression. "Yes, yes, of course. Lead the way." She took his hand and let him lead them out of the room and into the hallway. The moon was higher in the sky now, and it shone a soft white light through the windows on the ceiling.  
  
They walked carefully down the hallway, watching their surroundings and their backs with undying diligence. The detective had his gun raised with his left hand at all times, constantly pointed around him as he held onto Zelda's hand with his right.  
  
"Maybe there was a fire drill?" the Captain said half-jokingly.  
  
Nervous laughter came off of Zelda's lips. "Yeah, or maybe-" She gasped.  
  
He stopped, still looking forward. "What is it?"  
  
She leaned in closer to him and whispered into his ear, "Look...behind...you..."  
  
Both of them let go of each other's hand and turned around.  
  
It was a giant black shadow in the shape of a leech, with two huge blinking orange eyes, only about five meters away and as tall as the ceiling. It made a high-pitched screeching noise before running forward toward them.  
  
"RUN!!" he shouted as he grabbed onto Zelda's hand again and dashed down the hallway as fast as he could go. The shadow leech pursued, occasionally making that shrieking noise which frightened them both every time.  
  
"He's gaining on us, Link!" she shouted at him.  
  
'...wait a second,' she thought. 'How did I know his first name?'  
  
Link stopped and pulled Zelda behind her. "Stand back!!" He pulled out his gun again and aimed directly at the monster, then fired several rounds.  
  
But it didn't seem impacted by the bullets at all, and continued forward toward them.  
  
"What the hell IS this thing??" he shouted as he grabbed her hand again and continued running forward. They reached the stairway and hurried down, almost tripping over each other, and when they reached the bottom they made a mad dash for the exit. The monster was still on their tail, not relenting at all in the pursuit. They dashed across the boat and down the hill to the main gate, where his police car was still waiting.  
  
"Get in my car, quickly!!" he said to her as he ran out of the gate and around the car to the driver's side. Zelda followed orders and fastened herself into the passenger seat while Link put the key in the ignition.  
  
He tried starting the car, but without success. The engine whined as it tried to engage, but failed to ever reach the sweet spot. He continued to try to start it over and over, but it wasn't working.  
  
Zelda stared out the passenger-side window with horror as the monster started squeezing itself out the gate.  
  
Instinctively, she grabbed the steering wheel without thinking about it.  
  
Both gasped as her hand glowed for a few moments...and the car started.  
  
"...how did you do that?" Link said with quiet astonishment.  
  
Zelda looked just as puzzled. "...I have no idea."  
  
Not caring to investigate the miracle at that moment, he put the car into drive and stomped the acceleration pedal, and they sped out of the castle driveway, leaving the monster behind. 


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